The Vicar Writes
Wednesday 16th June 2010
A Prayer
A prayer:O Living God,
we who are partly living,
scarcely hoping,
and fitfully caring,
pray to you now
to make us fully alive.
Give us the vitality, awareness and commitment
that we see in Jesus Christ,
through the power of his death and resurrection.
We ask this in his Name. Amen
This is one of a group of prayers written by Bishop John V Taylor many years ago that I commend to you. The prayers come from a collection of essays A Matter of Life and Death in which he addresses the problem of not grasping the gift of life in Christ fully. It has always been and always will be a dilemma for us and the Church that we are distracted by concerns and preoccupations which drain life from our faith rather than enhance it. One complication in choosing life over partial life is that the priorities we claim for God’s mission which have the potential of bringing life and growth can also be our nemesis if there is not full trust that God is with us. Our worry and our concerns with too much detail, and “what if’s” and “Plan B’s” can make the most joyful possibilities a burden.
I write this as we near Summer holidays, fewer meetings (I hope) and perhaps a more relaxed schedule in Church life. I enjoy this time of year, not as one to decrease time with God but reconnect in life giving and joyful ways. There may be a bit more time to spend in prayer, in meditating on God’s constant presence with us, and discerning how he will continue to work through us in marvellous ways.
May your Summer months be joyful, God filled and life restoring.
